Beside You In Time
by Loekei
Summary: When you want something done right, do it yourself. A different take on the old "time-travel fic" trope.
1. Places parallel I know it's you

AN: So, to address possible concerns of plagiarism... I initially wrote this story years ago and had submitted it on another site under the moniker LunatikPandora. I lost my plot bunny for a long while, mainly because I had no idea how to address some very glaring issues that came up. Suffice it to say, I've tentatively fixed them (though who knows; something else may come up.) I wanted to post this here with the edits I've made to see how it was received. I'd like to continue it, but I may be a bit pressed for time between work and school, especially since this is a rough semester. Chemistry as an English major? Bleh. So here's what I have so far. Hope you like it. I'd appreciate honest feedback, ideas, etc. I'd also appreciate a lack of flames, but understand that this is the internet. This story is partially epilogue-compliant before venturing off into basically AU territory. Thanks for reading.

Cheers,  
Loekei/LunatikPandora

PS: If anyone would like to see some of the pictures I've drawn of the characters as I've pictured them in my head... kinda... then head onto deviantArt and look up my old account under samt_arras. (I say old account because I'm a genius and forgot my password, and the account is linked to an email that no longer exists. Sad that I've lost an account I've been working on since... 2006? Ish. But my own fault.) 

* * *

Sirius Black was not the type of man who would easily stand by and let someone take over his responsibilities. He was a prankster and a rogue, but he was nothing if not a faithful and reliable friend to those he loved more dearly than his own family. (Admittedly, the aforementioned family were a bunch of crazy blood-supremacists, but that is entirely beside the point.)

So when Rubeus Hagrid informed him that he was taking his now-orphaned godson to his aunt and uncle's house rather than letting him take the poor lad home, you can imagine how surprised the half-giant was when Sirius acquiesced with very little fight.

"I'm sorry, Sirius... really, I am. They didn' deserve this." And Sirius nodded glumly.

"Neither does he."

Startled, the two men spun around, wands (or in Hagrid's case, a large pink umbrella) trained directly at the shadowy figures who had suddenly appeared in their midst.

"Who are ye? Wha' do ye want?" The taller of the two shadows raised his hands defensively.

"It's alright, Hagrid, we're not your enemies. And believe me when I say that the very last thing we want to do is to hurt that boy." Hagrid seemed to be lowering his guard slightly, a fact which just raised Sirius' hackles higher than they already had been.

"Then why don't you show yourselves, so we can decide for ourselves if you're really trustworthy," he snarled. "Or do you prefer to hide in the shadows like rats?"

A palpable coldness fell over the group.

"I'd prefer to not be compared to a sniveling coward who sold his friends out to save his own skin, if you don't mind." Sirius' eyes narrowed at these words.

"You know then?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You told me."

"LIAR!" He gripped the wand harder, fully intending to strangle the man with his own intestinal tract. But he never got that far; the shadowy man had moved into the light, revealing an untidy mop of dark hair, framing a thin face on which were perched a pair of round glasses. Beside him was a petite woman with vibrant red hair. He lowered his wand, stunned.

"James? Lily?" And the man lifted his head, drawing himself up to his full height. And Sirius knew at once that he was mistaken.

Those were Lily's eyes staring him down out of James' face. His mind began frantically putting together the pieces, leading him to the only possible conclusion.

"No... Harry?" HE couldn't believe it; even as the young man-_Harry? No, impossible_\- nodded his assent, Sirius had whipped his wand back up again. "FINITE INCATATEM!"

Nothing happened. _He must be polyjuiced or something._ "REVELO!"

Still, nothing. Lily's eyes stared into his own with a deep sadness and regret; James' face showed understanding. Sirius, half out of his mind with grief, was throwing every spell in the book at him, trying to get him to reveal his true face. But he just sat there and took everything unflinchingly; tears had slowly started to make their way down his thin face. Finally, he spoke, softly, haltingly.

"Padfoot... it's really me. I promise." And he pulled out a thin gold chain with an hourglass on it, and Sirius knew exactly what it was and what it meant. The ground rushed up to meet him, and he knew no more.

"Yeh gave us a righ' scare there, Harry. Don' know who te trus', these days, yeh know. Yeh coulda been anyone. Damn lucky he didn' curse yeh, te be honest with yeh."

"I know Hagrid. But we had to stop him somehow."

"I canna preten' te understan' it, Harry, but if yer anythin' like yer parents, bless their souls, then yer a good man in my book, an' I trust yeh. I don' wanna know anythin' about what yer doin if I can help not knowin'; I've an awfully bad habit of spillin' the beans, as it were."

A third voice joined the conversation; a woman's voice.

"So you're alright with this, then?"

"It's for the best, Ginny. If I can' remember yeh, I can' very well tell anyone about yeh that might want that information. 'Specially anyone workin' with... well... You-Know-Who. Jus... yeh know how teh do it, don' yeh?"

"Of course."

"Well, alrigh' then. Go ahead and do it."

"OBLIVIATE!" A whooshing noise was heard as the spell was cast; then the rustling of paper, and Harry giving the benevolent half-giant very clear instructions.

"Rubeus Hagrid, you are going to take this note to Albus Dumbledore. He is to read it privately, in his study. If he asks, tell him that Harry Potter is safe, and will remain safe. We would also request that he visit the Potter home in Godric's Hollow at precisely 11 o'clock tonight. You will not remember who gave you these orders. Now, go." A sound of a motorbike starting, and then driving away into the night, and a man's sigh.

"Sirius, you can quit pretending to be asleep. I know you can hear us now." He opened his eyes and sat up. He was in Lily and James' sitting room, on the sofa before the hearth. The same one they used to play with little Harry on. That same boy was now sitting at the window, one leg pulled up to his chest, the moonlight reflecting off of his face. The play of light and shadow across his features really drove home just how careworn he looked. He turned around and saw the woman, Ginny, he guessed, sitting by the fire with baby Harry asleep in her arms, which were curled protectively around both the sleeping child and the curve of her own belly. Finally, in the back corner of the room, he saw two figures covered in linens; a woman's hand peeked out from underneath the nearest of them. He gasped, tears springing to his eyes as he realized just who it was under those sheets.

"I brought them both down here and covered them myself; we'll send them with Dumbledore when he gets here, so he can make the preparations." Sirius turned to look back at the young man in the windowsill, whose green eyes were now focused on him. "If you want to take a look, just for some closure, now would be the time. Just bear in mind, that... well, you know how the Killing Curse tends to freeze your expressions as they were the moment it hits you... it may not exactly be pleasant." Sirius felt a cold dead weight settle in the pit of his stomach as Harry's words registered with him. He nodded mutely, and moved to the back corner of the room to say his goodbyes. He pulled the sheet back from Lily first.

Her once-beautiful green eyes were now glassy and dull, yet open wide in fear and desperation. He stroked her cheek; it was still soft, and just losing the last vestiges of warmth. There was a moist part along the hollows of her cheekbones where her tears hadn't quite dried yet. With shaking hands, he covered her once more, and brought a fist up to his mouth, trying as hard as he could to keep the tears at bay. Once he thought he had reined himself in, he slowly drew back James' sheet.

Sirius couldn't hold back the choked sob that burst forth from him then. As he took in his best friend's cold dead form, he couldn't help but recall all their years together. The pain nearly overwhelmed him as he looked into James' cloudy hazel eyes. His expression was torn between blatant terror and a nearly bestial ferocity.

"He was trying to give us enough time to run." His head whipped around once more to face Harry, who was now standing behind him, leaning against the wall like a sullen schoolboy. "The bastard blasted the door open and killed him before he could even grab his wand. He only had enough time to raise the alarm... he shouted up the stairs at her to run... turned around to face him... and died.

"Mum could have gotten away. He was going to spare her if she only stepped aside and let him at me. She wouldn't. She begged him to spare me, to take her instead. He killed her, and moved to kill me. And that... leaves us where we are now."

Sirius stared at him, mouth hanging open.

"He... tried to kill you?" Harry turned to face him, pulling his fringe up as he did so. Sirius saw a strange scar on his forehead.

"Tried. Backfired a bit, though." He let his fringe fall again, rubbing his forehead gently as he did so. "Because she chose to die to save me, she invoked some old magic. It protected me, causing the spell to bounce off my forehead and hit him instead." Sirius felt the faintest stirrings of hope at that.

"So, he's dead?"

"No. He's still alive. Just... terribly weakened. I'll have to explain that more fully when Dumbledore arrives." The clock on the mantlepiece began to chime. "Which... should be any moment now."

And lo and behold, with a faint pop, Albus Dumbledore appeared in the middle of the room; no sooner had he appeared, however, than he had tried to summon baby Harry from Ginny's arms. Much to his surprise, a shield charm blocked his spell.

"Impossible..." he murmured. Ginny had gotten up (with a small amount of difficulty, given her delicate condition and the baby in her arms) and brandished her wand at the aging wizard.

"Not impossible, just unexpected. After all, how were you to know that there could be two Masters in the same room?" His eyes widened behind his half-moon glasses.

"Perhaps we should sit and discuss this, then."

"Yes, we should. But first..." Sirius felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the wards were re-erected around the house. Finally, the lights came on, just as Harry vaulted himself over the couch (in a manner so reminiscent of James it sent pangs through his chest just watching him) and gestured for the others to sit as well. Sirius and Ginny sat as well; Dumbledore however, conjured his own chair (a garish purple and gold chintz monstrosity) and sat before the hearth, eyeing everyone in the room suspiciously. Harry leaned forward, steepling his fingers as he turned to regard the old headmaster.

"I trust you read the note I sent with Hagrid?" His tone was light, conversational.

"Of course," Dumbledore replied with a polite nod. "However, I must confess to being confused on a few points. First and foremost, I was not aware that anyone other than myself, Mr. Black here, and the Potters were aware of the nature of the… protections around the house." At this point Harry leaned back into the sofa, conjuring tea for everyone as he did so, and took a deep sip from his cup before speaking.

"I thought I explained it fairly well in the note, Professor. James and Sirius devised a plan they thought would throw Voldemort off the scent, in which they, at the last minute, changed the secret keeper to Peter, who they viewed as the less obvious choice." He paused, deliberating his next words, as Sirius buried his head in his hands, grief-stricken. "Obviously you were mistaken; I don't know where he is right now, but my advice to you, Sirius, is not to go and seek him out." His head snapped up at that, and he stared at Harry with an incredulous look.

"Are you mad? That bloody rat is the reason your parents were murdered, Harry-"

"Harry?" Dumbledore was now staring at the strange young man, understanding dawning on his face. Sirius paid him no mind, plowing on as though he hadn't spoken.

"-and I'll be DAMNED if I let him get away with this! I'm honestly surprised you haven't gone marching off to find him yourself!" And Harry just sighed into his tea, that too-old expression crossing his features again.

"Honestly, Padfoot, I haven't figured out quite what to do with him yet. I only know that he can't die yet. He has his part to play. As do you, for that matter."

"This isn't a game, boy; this is people's lives we're talking about here. Lily and James are dead, and the man responsible for their deaths is off gallivanting about the bloody neighborhood without a care in the world, because he has a bloody PART TO PLAY? Who the bloody hell do you think you are? We're not pawns to be toyed with!"

"Enough!" He couldn't explain why, but at Ginny's sharp command, he fell silent; Harry, who had been ready to jump from his seat and attempt to knock some sense into the man's head, also settled back down into his chair, fuming silently. The young woman clutched the child to her chest as she stood up, briefly placing a steadying hand on her belly as she did so, and turned to glare at Sirius.

"You have no idea what he's trying to accomplish here, Sirius Black. Imagine for one moment, that you were in his shoes. You just went back in time to try and save some people very dear to you, as well as to save everyone a little misery the second time around. And yet the whole time, you have to make sure that some things still happen the same way, so that you can ensure that at the end of it all, Voldemort will still die, and you still walk away unscathed.

"YOU," she growled, jabbing her finger into his chest, "happen to be one of those people very dear to him who he is trying to save. Imagine what would have happened if you had gone after Peter before we got here. Dumbledore wouldn't know you hadn't been the secret keeper, and you'd have still been the bad guy. Worse, you'd have cornered him in the middle of a muggle street, in broad daylight, and he'd have faked his own death and killed twelve muggles in the process, thereby framing you for his murder -and theirs- and getting you thrown in bloody Azkaban. You then spend twelve, long, miserable years in that shit hole before you escape, are on the run for two, and end up getting offed by your lovely cousin Bellatrix right in front of Harry here. Is that not reason enough to hold you here? To save your bloody life? Or how about the fact that with you in Azkaban, he gets sent to live with those disgusting-"

"Gin." Harry's voice was quiet, but firm, and held a tone of warning. Ginny nodded and sat back down, still shooting daggers at Sirius, who was staring at her pale-faced and slack-jawed. He turned to Harry after a moment.

"Azkaban? Really?" Harry nodded at him; he pulled his wand out and traced a small intricate pattern in the air in front of him. A thin silvery mist appeared, and on it was projected an image. He waved his wand again and expanded it so everyone could see.

"Is that the Shrieking Shack? And who the bloody hell is that?"

"That, Sirius, is you." Any color that was still in his face quickly left it at that admission. The man in the mist was sallow faced, his hair long and matted, his eyes crazed. Remus was there as well, holding him back from charging at a frightened red-headed boy with a rat in his hands. "That's where your vengeance will get you." He waved his wand once more, and the image changed to another; Sirius noted he looked better, cleaner, but still held that same hollow, haunted look, even through his laughter. Laughter which was quickly extinguished by a sickly jet of green light that hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards through a veiled archway, where he vanished.

"Sweet merciful Nimue..."

"That's why we're here. To keep that from happening." He jabbed his wand at the image-which now showed him looking roughly ten years younger, and screaming in Remus' arms- causing it to dissipate. He turned to Dumbledore, and began speaking to him in a very business-like tone.

"The boy will not be going to live with the Dursleys."

"I'm sorry, Harry, but he must; it's the only way to protect him. Surely you know that-"

"The blood protection is valid as long as he lives wherever his mother's blood dwells, correct?"

"That is correct."

"Then he's going to go with Sirius... and so will we."

"I'm sorry, but that's not-"

"If you say that's not going to work, then might I remind you: given that the boy and I are - for all intents and purposes- the same person, it would follow that we share the same mother, and by that logic, the same blood, correct?" His logic brought Dumbledore up short. A troubled expression slowly crept onto his face.

"That is correct. But Harry, how do you expect to raise... yourself? You can't honestly believe that you'll be able to access your vault or hold a job or anything in this timeline, one where you technically only exist as an infant. And this is, of course, ignoring the fact that you are spitting in the face of every known law of time travel simply by-"

"Your wand recognized me." There was a long pause as the men regarded each other.

"Pardon?"

"In my line, I am the Master of that wand, having taken it from the man who had taken it from you. If your logic holds true, and the magic of this timeline will not recognize me as a valid entity, then how do you explain this?"

And Albus Dumbledore, for the first time in many long years, was rendered speechless. It was a few moments before he finally let out a deep sigh, nodding slowly.

"I concede. You've obviously done some homework on this."

"Not really; that was just lucky chance. Plan B was to live as a muggle. But enough of that, there's some important information I have for you:

"First, Voldemort is not dead. He's simply floating around bodiless."

"I had surmised as much. I've plans to figure out where he may be currently headed to-"

"The forests of Albania. He'll be laying low there for a few years yet. I also know why he didn't die. And I'm sure you have your... theories as well." The two men exchanged a dark, meaningful look.

"I do, although I am unsure if that is the extent of it."

"Professor, what is the most magically powerful number? Seven, isn't it?" Albus's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets in shock, his face pale and tinged with green.

"He didn't... he made... six of them...?"

"Well... the sixth was unintentional; he doesn't know he made it. He'll make his 'sixth' when he returns to power." He saw the wheels turning in his former professor's head, and saw the exact moment when he realized the truth.

"Oh my..."

"You see part of my dilemma. Do we tell him he's fated to die, or let him find out on his own?" Sirius perked up at that.

"Who's fated to die."

"Me."

"WHAT? Why?" And Harry laughed.

"It's alright. I'll live, as you can see." He steepled his fingers. "No, the biggest part of my dilemma is not whether to tell him the truth or not, or to try and find some way around this, which I will admittedly be doing anyway, just as a failsafe. It's whether to let certain events unfold so that the conditions will be met." He turned to Sirius at this point. "This is the part that Peter has to play, and it's why I'm so hesitant to kill him at this point."

"Better explain then, kiddo." Much to his surprise, despite his gruff voice, Harry smiled warmly at him when he said that. _His whole face lights up when he smiles... just like his mother._

"Well, here's the plan I have so far..."


	2. Everything is back where it belongs

"MORNING HARRY!" The boy in question threw his pillow at the offending child's head, realizing belatedly that he could no longer bury his head under it.

"Bloody hell, James, I'm trying to sleep!" The russet haired, hazel eyed boy simply stuck his tongue out at him, a cheeky grin on his face. At nearly ten years old, James Black was a piece of work.

"But it's your birthday, Harry! Mum and Da and Uncle Paddy are all makin' you breakfast right now, and we're not allowed to have any of it till you come down!" he moaned, flopping down onto Harry's bed dramatically. He looked up at the grumpy older boy, a conspiratorial grin on his face. "Besides, how else are you supposed to get your Hogwarts letter?"

Harry Potter shot up out of his bed like a cork.

"It came?!" James laughed maniacally, running out the door and down the stairs, calling in a sing-song voice:

"Not telling! You'll have to find out yourself!" Harry threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, not even bothering to run a comb through his hair (he knew that battle was over before it began anyway) before he darted out the door and down the stairs after his cousin.

"Did it come in yet?" he half-shouted at the group of people sitting in his kitchen. Sirius turned around and chuckled at him.

"Not yet, kiddo. Sorry." Harry turned to glare at James, who was hiding behind his father, trying not to laugh (and failing miserably).

"Jamie, you said it came in!"

"Got you out of bed, dinnit?" Without even looking up from what he was doing, James' father, Regulus, swatted him gently on the head with part of the Daily Prophet.

"Leave your cousin alone, Jamie." He looked up at Harry and winked, even as James trudged away, moaning about starving to death. "Breakfast should be ready in a mo'; just waiting on your aunt to stop being such a perfectionist with the ruddy pancakes-" With a rather satisfying 'plop', one of the aforementioned pancakes ended up on top of his head. Rosie turned around, her hand over her mouth in mock surprise.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, love! Did I hit you with that? I was only trying to hurry and finish making the last of these pancakes, but I suppose I flipped that one a little too fast." Reggie narrowed his eyes at his wife and pushed her forehead with his index finger.

"Brat."

"Prat."

"But you love me."

"Pity, that." Rosie wrapped her arms around her husband, and he responded in kind; Harry could only roll his eyes. They were acting like a pair of lovestruck teenagers. _Like always,_ he thought, a little secret grin spreading across his face. He really did hope that one day, if and when he ever got married, it would be like Regulus Black and Rose Evans. His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sight of his godfather transforming into a shaggy black dog, jumping up on Rosie from behind and snatching the forgotten pancake off of Reggie's head.

"Dammit, Sirius! Get your own!" Reggie swatted playfully at his older brother, who had returned to human form.

"Oh but it's so much more fun this way! And besides, I saw that look, and I doubt Harry here needs another repeat of his fourth birthday, wouldn't you say?" Reg and Rosie blushed furiously; Harry himself groaned and covered his ears, trying to block out that particular embarrassing moment. Suffice it to say that he had come downstairs a little earlier than usual in his excitement over his birthday, and ended up coming across his cousin Lily's conception (which was taking place in the kitchen, for reasons unfathomable). The only part that made up for it (_very bloody slightly,_ he thought with a grimace) was that after he had stood there stunned for the last hurrah, as it were, he then asked his aunt and uncle in innocent-child fashion why they were wrestling on the table, and wouldn't uncle Paddy get mad if he caught them. The looks on their faces when they realized what he had just seen... priceless. He was grateful that Jamie and Al were only two and nearly three at the time, or they might have also been scarred for life once they realized just what they had walked in on. Harry also couldn't understand why his uncle seemed less upset about it than his aunt. Not that he could understand what the sometimes cryptic man meant by much of what he said and did anyway. He trusted him, however; Uncle Reggie had yet to steer him wrong, even if his reasons weren't always clear at first.

"Alright, you lot, breakfast is ready!" his aunt half shouted, levitating the dishes over to the table. The pattering of feet could be heard as his younger cousins ran down the steps and into the dining room. Lily entered first, her bright red hair flying behind her like a mane of fire, her giant grin revealing missing front teeth. She jumped on her cousin, wrapping her arms around his thin frame like she hadn't seen him in years. Following her (though more slowly, being a much more reserved child than his exuberant sister) was Albus, who was possibly Harry's favorite cousin, despite there being two and a half years difference in age between them. They looked enough alike to have been brothers; Harry supposed it was because their parents had a lot of similar features, not to mention that they were related through Rosie, who was his mother's cousin.

His musings were, once again, interrupted as another person entered the room.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Remus Lupin said gruffly, embracing his 'nephew' with one arm; the other was holding something behind his back. Harry heard Lily gasp, and pulled back, grinning like mad.

"Thanks Uncle Moony. Now what are you hiding behind your back?" Remus smiled wolfishly.

"Didn't think I'd be able to keep this one a secret for very long, with those little imps you call cousins running around, so I figured I'd give you your present a little early." He brought his arm around, revealing a large snowy owl sitting in an equally large cage. Harry's eyes widened.

"My own owl? WICKED!"

"Remus, you know we don't give presents out until after breakfast," Rosie said sternly, crossing her arms and leveling him with a rather pointed look. He shifted uncomfortably until Reggie spoke up.

"I think we can let it slide this once, love." Rosie turned to glare at him, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw his wistful expression. She sighed, running her hands through her hair, and nodded.

"Alright. But just this once." This time, her pointed look was directed at her husband, who nodded, looking resigned. These silent exchanges had always confused Harry; he'd recently asked his godfather about it, and the usually playful and high spirited man had actually given him a very serious answer.

_"Your uncle and I both had a rough go of it when we were growing up. It makes both of us a little prone to doting on you kids. He's especially guilty of it, given… some things in his past. Your aunt keeps him on a tight leash because she knows he'll spoil you all so badly you probably wouldn't even be able to fit through doorways, your heads would be so big. Don't be too hard on them, Harry. Rosie's done good by you lot, dare I say as good as your own mother would have done. And Reggie's a good man, and he means well. He's just trying too hard to make up for too much, I guess."_

_"But why does it always seem to be centered around me?" Sirius regarded him silently for a few moments, seeming like he was considering his words very carefully. After what seemed like forever, he spoke._

_"You've read a few things about the War, right?"_

_"A bit."_

_"You remember what a Death Eater is?"_

_"One of Voldemort's servants, right?" Sirius nodded._

_"Your uncle was... always very eager to try and please our parents. He would have done anything to appease them. So when they wanted him to join up..." Harry's eyes widened._

_"Uncle Regulus was a Death Eater?" Sirius nodded again. "Why isn't he in Azkaban? And how'd he end up with Aunt Rosie? I thought marrying a muggle went against the whole blood supremacy thing?"_

_"It did. Fact is, kiddo, your uncle got in a little over his head. He saw some things that he can't ever forget, and was forced to do things he can't take back."_

_"Did he... did he ever...?" He seemed to understand his godson's question without having to actually hear it._

_"He never killed anyone. But he has used two of the Unforgivables. And ironically enough, has never forgiven himself for doing it. Besides that, he learned some things that frightened him. And he was head over heels in love with your aunt at the time as well. Those three things gave him the strength to finally locate his stones and break ranks. They married in secret, and ended up coming to me a week later looking for a place to hide. I nearly turned him away, I was so angry with him. But I didn't. And I'm grateful for that. Not even two nights after, their house was ransacked and burned to the ground, and a little while later, Jamie was born, and the war ended just a little over two months after that." He shrugged, leaning back in his chair and looking into the dying fire. "So you see, Harry... all this time, he's been wanting to atone for his sins by creating a life for you and your cousins that he wished he had had for himself. It's a little silly, and maybe a little selfish, but I can't begrudge him this. I can only trust your aunt to temper his more... extravagant tendencies." He turned back to Harry, studying him. "Do you understand a little better now?"_

_"I... I'm not sure." He studied him for a moment longer, finally catching the hint of sadness and disappointment in the boy's face._

_"Harry, if there's one thing you should ever be sure of, it's this: those two love you more than you could possibly imagine. No matter what they say or how they act, never forget that." And Harry nodded. And Sirius left it at that._

"Harry, how many pieces of bacon would you like?" Harry started, surprised out of his reverie by his uncle's innocent question. His aunt laughed brightly.

"Which planet did you visit this time, Harry?" He glared at his aunt, blushing lightly.

"For your information, I was floating around the outer planets, sightseeing... got a rather good look at Uranus." Rosie's eyebrows disappeared into her strawberry blonde hairline as the men all snorted into their drinks. Reggie, unfortunately, had been trying to take a bite of his eggs at the time, and ended up inhaling them instead. Harry wasn't sure if his face was that red due to embarrassment from the reference or from choking on bits of egg white. He finally managed to regain his composure, and addressed his nephew.

"Well, now that you're done trying to kill me... bacon. Would you like some?" His face was still red. _Totally blushing_, Harry thought gleefully. Sirius and Remus shared a conspiratorial look, grinning evilly into their tea. Rosie seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of boxing his ears over the table or just taking the subtle jab with grace. She apparently decided on the latter, because she forked over two slices of bacon without waiting for his reply.

"I'm letting this slide because it's your birthday, but I will get you back for that, Potter," she growled. He shrugged apologetically, and her expression lightened... slightly. Rosie ruffled his hair before digging into her own meal with her characteristic zeal.

Breakfast continued without a hitch- except for James putting syrup in Al's hair, and Sirius' cousin Nymphadora—"How many times have I told you to call me Tonks, you wanker?!"- showing up to drop off her present and flirt with Remus a bit before she went to training (the old wolf was blushing into his tea for hours afterward)- and they had moved into the sitting room for the remainder of his gifts.

Tonks got him an assortment of Zonkos products (which Rosie forbid him to use in the house, much to his dismay). Lily, Albus, and James had pooled their allowance together to get him a book about famous Quidditch maneuvers (he loved it, and told them so. They were thrilled.) From Sirius, he got a strange silvery cloak.

"It was your father's." Their eyes locked. "Try it on." He threw it over his shoulders and pulled the hood up. His cousins gasped.

"Where'd he go?" Lily practically screamed, sounding legitimately concerned.

"What are you talking about, I haven't moved an inch!" he replied, baffled. Sirius handed him a mirror; he couldn't see himself in it. He pulled back the hood, and his cousins gasped again.

"Is this... an invisibility cloak?" Sirius nodded.

"How else do you think the Marauders got away with half the pranks they pulled?" he teased gently. Harry beamed at his godfather, truly grateful for the small piece of his father that he'd been given.

"Thank you," he said softly. Sirius simply nodded once more, his eyes suspiciously bright.

He was about to reach for Reg and Rosie's gift when suddenly, a large tawny owl flew into the room, a rather official looking letter attached to his leg. Harry took the letter (giving a small bit of leftover bacon to the bird, who took it gratefully) and read the front, his grin growing as he did so.

"Its my Hogwarts letter!"

He began reading the contents of the letter excitedly, his cousins gathered around him. None of them noticed the wistful couple in the back of the room.

"Much less uneventful this time around, I must say," Reg whispered. Rosie put her head on his shoulder and wove her fingers through his.

"That's a good thing, though. He's happy, love. You don't have to try so hard."

"I know. It's just hard to forget. And sometimes..." he trailed off, a shadow crossing his features.

"You wonder if we did the right thing?" He nodded.

"I don't know if we changed him too much, raising him as we did."

"You think raising him in the muggle world was a bad idea?"

"Not really... it's just that I have a difficult time reconciling the boy we've raised with the boy I was."

"Then we'll just have to hope that we did good by him, won't we?" He nodded. She stroked his hand with her thumb. "It'll be alright, Harry. You'll see."

"Yeah... I guess we will, Gin."


	3. Feel the little pieces bleeding through

"So, what have you gotten up to today?" Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather, who was sitting in his favorite chair by the fire, swirling a snifter of brandy around in an attempt to look distinguished. The fact that Sirius was wiggling a black quill on his upper lip like a mustache was not helping in his attempts to ignore him as he poured his own glass.

"You're incorrigible, I'll have you know."

"I'm well aware, kiddo. Now, come on, spill." Harry plopped down in the chair opposite him, plucking a neatly folded bit of parchment from his pocket.

"Well, so far nothing too major seems to have deviated from what I remember... the only differences are that he seems to have made friends with Neville, and Snape is being less of a berk to him this go-round. Oh, and he didn't make the Quidditch team, but frankly, I could care less about that."

"Really?" Sirius looked scandalized at this; Harry chucked lightly.

"Yeah. For some reason, Neville seems to have come out of his shell early this time, and rather than let Malfoy take his Remembrall, he managed to wrestle it away from him before Crabbe clocked him upside the head." He waved the letter at Sirius, a wry grin on his face. "The majority of this letter is him explaining exactly how he managed to land himself in a weeks detention with Ron, Neville, and the Slytherin boys. To his credit, he was trying to stop the fight, but... well, Ron got his Weasley up, it seems."

"What about my idiot brother now?" Ginny strode into the room, pulling up the ottoman to sit next to her husband.

"He tried to take out Crabbe and Goyle with Neville."

"I'm surprised Harry didn't get in on that."

"He apparently pulled a Hermione and tried to keep them from getting into trouble."

"Bloody hell, what did we do to you?"

"Made me less of an impulsive idiot, apparently."

"Oh, right." Sirius watched the friendly exchange with a bemused expression. Harry and Ginny had been much less uptight about keeping their "Reggie and Rosie" personas now that little Harry had finally gone to Hogwarts... at least after the kids had gone to bed. They were planning on sitting their children down and explaining it to them at some point, but so far, neither had come up with a good way to keep them from spilling the beans. Sirius knew for a fact that he wanted to be there the night they finally broke the news. With a bowl of popcorn. Behind a riot shield. Yes... it would certainly be interesting to see their reactions. And he knew the longer they waited, the worse it would get. Jamie was no fool; he was already starting to notice things. It wouldn't be long before Al and Lily picked up on it as well. He turned his attention back to the couple in front of him, marveling-and not for the first time-just how much like Lily and James they were.

"So when Voldemort decides to go after the stone, is he just going to go back up to the dormitory when McGonagall doesn't believe him?"

"To be honest with you, I don't know, and it doesn't matter. You know we promised not to meddle in school affairs unless it's absolutely necessary. On that note, you still haven't told me what your thoughts were about what to do about the diary."

"Not this again..."

"Ginny, I love you, but we are running out of time. The longer you waffle about it, the closer you get to subjecting a little girl to the twisted mind of Tom Riddle."

"Alright, how about this," Sirius interjected, seeing that yet again, Ginny was digging her heels in and refusing to even think about the terrible events of her first year, let alone what to do about a potential repeat. "Why don't we start with the pros and cons to interfering this year before we start in on the next? Because I don't think we're fully decided on a course of action here yet." Harry nodded; Ginny sighed with relief, seating herself on the ottoman. Sirius drew his wand, brandishing it at her. "You're not off the hook yet, missy. We WILL get to that tonight." The color drained out of her face, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Ignoring her, Sirius conjured a large blackboard. A few more flicks of his wand had a chart drawn up and room on the side to write the final decisions for all seven years.

"Now then... when you two first showed up, what exactly were the major key points that you were trying for?"

"Easy," Ginny swept her hair behind her shoulder, reminding Sirius quite strongly of Lily when she was about to start listing on all the reasons why one of James' crazy schemes wouldn't work. "First, obviously, was making sure that Harry wasn't going to end up at the Dursleys, and keeping you out of Azkaban. We had to make sure he was still given the protection from his mother, and make sure that he still had all the necessary traits that would pretty much propel him into the battle on his own, rather than being forced in there. Then there's the matter of the Horcrux in his head..."

"We still haven't decided what we're doing about that, love." She arched a brow at him.

"Oh? Who's waffling now, Mr. Potter?" He glared at her, obviously not wanting to have this particular conversation.

"Point made, love. But we've still a few more years of leeway with that, now don't we?"

"Perhaps, but I recall you mentioning to me just last week that you're afraid to bring any of this up with him because he trusts you more completely than you ever trusted Dumbledore, and you know how that sort of betrayal feels. You're trying to spare him."

"Well at least my reasons aren't completely selfish." Ginny jerked back as though she had been hexed, her eyes narrowing. Sirius could almost feel a palpable coldness emanating from her. _Watch out, kiddo..._

"What's that supposed to mean, Potter?"

"I don't know, maybe because you might be sentencing your younger self to death simply because you can't face your own ghosts?" She stood up abruptly, her rage making her seem much taller than she actually was.

"How DARE you! After all I went through, helping you with your problems throughout the years? All the nightmares, all the flashbacks-"

"And you will never know how much your help meant to me, Ginny. Really." He was speaking earnestly now, trying his best to get her to calm down enough to listen. "But what about all those nightmares YOU had? The flashbacks, the lingering doubts? How often did I sit with you, hold you, listen to you? I know very damn well what you went through, and continue to go through even now. All I'm trying to say is that we've been here for ten years, and you've refused to address this issue _once_. The longer we wait, the more damage could potentially be done to her, and I know you wouldn't wish what you went through on your worst enemy, let alone her." She stared at him for a moment, obviously trying to figure out if it was worth it to continue arguing with him. She made her decision within moments, and sat down with a plop.

"Point taken. Sorry." He reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I'm still working on finding a safer method of extraction, because I don't want him to have to go through that. We do still have time. Both of us."

"Yes, but it's running out, and fast, so let's get cracking on this, shall we?" Sirius quipped, giving them both a significant look. The couple looked at each other sheepishly, and then began troubleshooting.

None of them noticed they were being watched.

* * *

"I swear, Al, I'm telling the truth!" The younger boy simply scoffed at his older brother's attempts at getting him to believe his frankly unbelievable tale. _Really,_ he thought. _Dad is actually Harry? That's just ridiculous._

"Not buying it, Jamie. Try Lily, though, she's gullible enough to fall for it... maybe." To his surprise-though he'd NEVER admit it- it looked like James was actually a bit hurt by his comment. _Get over yourself; you know he's a bloody good actor._

"Albus, I'll swear an Unbreakable Vow if I have to, alright? I just... I really need your help here." That brought him up short; for the first time since James had woken him up to tell him this crazy story, he felt... uneasy.

"You're really serious, then?" James nodded, his eyes wide and fearful. "Should I wake Lily?"

"No, I don't think so. She's too young, she wouldn't be able to handle this sort of thing."

"Well... what about Harry? Our Harry, I mean. Are we telling him?"

"I..." He grimaced suddenly. "I want to, but he'd never believe me."

"Yeah, but what if it came from both of us?"

"Well he'd think I just conned you into going along with it, won't he?" Al thought about that for a moment.

Yes, Harry would come to that exact conclusion. Of that, Albus was absolutely certain.

"We need evidence. Something solid, something that can't be explained away as a lie or a joke." James sighed and flopped backward onto the bed.

"This is going to take a while isn't it?" Al nodded solemnly.

"If it comes down to it, we'll tell him when he comes back for the winter hols. At least that way we don't have to worry about mum and dad finding the letters or anything."

James agreed; sometimes his brother could be pretty smart. For a little kid, anyway.

"But what if we don't get a chance to get him alone then?" The younger boy grinned that impish sideways grin he shared with his brother.

"Simple. We _make_ a chance." James returned his grin, sitting up eagerly. "He might be ... our dad..." -He winced, looking like he was still having some difficulty wrapping his mind around the enormity of that statement-"But he's still like our brother. And we take care of our own, yeah?"

"Yeah." 

* * *

"They know something." His wife's voice came out slightly muffled, as she whispered into the crook of his neck. He sighed, running his hands through the strawberry curls it had taken him an eternity to become accustomed to. He still missed her natural look, even as he had come to appreciate her as Rosie.

"You think they've sussed us out?" She looked up at him, and he wondered if she still found it as disconcerting to see her eyes on his face as he did seeing his own on hers.

"If the way the two of them have been skulking around for the past few weeks has been any indication... then yes, I do." She rolled over so she was leaning over him, her hair tickling his face. "Harry, I think we need to talk to them. You know they'll tell him."

He grimaced. She was right; at nine and ten years old, their collective sense of justice was already frighteningly acute. Even little Lily, at seven, would get her back up about this, even though he was almost positive she didn't know. A fact which would probably make her even more upset, once she found out.

They were Potters, through and through.

"We'll need to get this done before Harry comes back for the winter hols."

"Tomorrow." Her tone brooked no argument; he stared at her, sure that his expression was showing as much trepidation as he was feeling.

"Tomorrow it is, then."

They sent a patronus down the hall to Sirius' room, letting him know what was happening. They didn't have to wait long for the reply:

"I'll cook."


	4. Now that I've decided not to stay

AN: I know it's been seeming like older!Harry and older!Ginny are being Dumbledore levels of manipulative, but consider: they can't just take out Voldemort themselves until they're sure that the Horcrux in Harry's head can be removed any other way. Once they can manage that, then they're good to do whatever, and they can spare the kid immeasurable pain later on. As it is, they're doing everything in their power to make things as easy for him as possible. Hopefully as the story continues, it will become a bit clearer what I'm aiming to do here. And yes, the matter of not saving James/Lily WILL be addressed.

"And that's another win for me," James declared gleefully, pulling the pile of Chocolate Frog Cards towards himself. Albus wiped furiously at the goo that was, for the fifth time that afternoon, covering his face.

"Can't we play Chess or something?" he lamented, glaring down at his stained clothes. "I'm tired of playing Gobstones."

"Only cos you're pants at it. Besides, if I let you near a chessboard, you'll take all your cards back with interest."

"Well, can we at least play Exploding Snap? I'll even go for muggle card games at this point, just no more ruddy Gobstones." He picked at his shirt, an expression of distaste on his face. "I'm not sure even Mum will be able to get these stains out..."

"Quit sucking then." A delicious smell drifted into the room, catching their attention and effectively ending their argument. Lily bounced through the door happily, sporting a Cheshire cat grin with yet another missing tooth.

"Supper's ready!" She wrinkled her nose at Albus. "Ew, Al. You should change your clothes. They're all dirty."

"Funny, I hadn't noticed," he deadpanned. She stuck her tongue out at him and ran off, calling him something that sounded like "yucky stink-face." James sighed dramatically, handing his brother a fresh set of clothes with an exaggerated eyeroll.

"Women."

"Not women. Just stupid sisters."

After a few moments delay, the two boys found themselves practically charging towards the kitchen... until they saw who was at the stove.

"What's Sirius doing cooking?" Albus whispered, feeling an incredible sense of foreboding.

"Dunno," James replied, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "But I don't like it." They stepped into the kitchen slowly, readying themselves for the usual sort of chaos that accompanied their Uncle's culinary pursuits. Much to their surprise (and added unease) nothing seemed out of place. No one was sick, no one was screaming, and nothing was on fire... yet. Their mother was setting the table in the next room with Lily, and their father, by the looks of it, was having a smoke out back.

"I didn't know he smoked..." Albus mumbled, obviously confused. James, however, could remember- very faintly- seeing his father smoke before.

"I think he used to, back when we were really little. He probably quit..."

"Then why's he smoking now?" At this, Sirius let out a mirthless chuckle.

"His nerves are getting the best of him, I expect." James' head whipped around towards his uncle, who still had his back to them, calmly stirring the soup.

"You'll find out at dinner," he added cryptically.

The brothers shared an apprehensive look; neither was really sure what this had to do with, but both were sure it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Dinner was a relatively awkward affair. James tried to ignore the way his father's hands were shaking slightly, or the way his mother kept worrying at the edge of her napkin, to the point where she had loosened the stitching on the hem without even realizing. Or that every time he met their gaze, he saw this unfamiliar heaviness behind it that unnerved him.

Eventually, he had stopped, and simply acted throughout the latter half of the meal like the tablecloth was the most interesting thing he had ever encountered.

Lily, if she had noticed anything off at all, was seemingly unaffected, chattering happily at everyone about every little thing that had happened to her that day.

Albus, however, was closely monitoring everyone at the table. No movement, however small, escaped his notice. The sheer amount of parental fidgeting was astounding him; it was like they couldn't stop moving if their lives depended on it, they were so nervous. To see them in such a state was unsettling. Both his parents had a powerful mastery over their own emotions, so to see them this agitated meant that they were sitting on something very big. Then it occurred to him.

They knew.

Almost the second he thought that, his father set his fork and knife down and took a deep steadying breath.

"So."

At that single spoken word, an oppressive silence fell on them with all the delicacy of an axe. Albus could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Were they in trouble? Damn James all to hell for coming to him with this, if they were.

"How much have you lot managed to figure out, exactly?" He met his father's gaze, which was unusually intense, before looking over to James, who had gone rather pale.

"James?" His mother cut in, clearly recognizing the meaning behind Al's unintentional deference.

"I... overheard you talking. In the study." Her eyes narrowed.

"How long ago?"

"Erm... a few months ago? It was... it was when you got Harry's first letter from school, and... Merlin, Mum, what's going on?" She didn't answer at first, nor did their father, who seemed to be processing the information.

"We were a bit careless, it seems." Sirius stated flatly; the look he leveled at his brother spoke volumes. Reg glared back at him.

"Well spotted." Sirius simply shrugged in response, leaning back in his chair.

"I just call em like I see em, mate." Reg sat back a little, and looked over at Rosie.

"I'm guessing I'm starting?" She nodded. "Alright. James, Albus, Lily... I want you three to listen very closely, because this is very important."

All three of them nodded, sitting a little straighter in their seats and watching their father with rapt attention.

"Nothing your mother and I are about to tell you is to be repeated. And I'm not saying this to be unfair, I'm saying this because it is literally a life or death matter." They all paled a bit, exchanging worried glances. "I'm going to ask you three to take a Vow of Silence on this-"

"Is that like the Unbreakable Vow?" James interrupted, his eyes wide and fearful. Reg's expression hardened.

"I would never, under any circumstances, ask something like that of you." He straightened in his seat, relaxing slightly as he prepared to explain. "The Vow of Silence is similar, in that it prevents you from repeating what we discuss tonight, but you only suffer a tongue-tying curse if you try to speak of it, and a very subtle yet potent Confundus charm will activate if you try to write it out. The information will also be protected by magic inside your minds, so that it can't be extracted by any means without a password. The sole exception to this is if Harry broaches the topic himself."

"So it's not harmful to us in any way?" Albus asked in a small yet serious voice. His father shook his head emphatically.

"Not even remotely." Albus didn't seem fully convinced.

"But should Lily really be here for this?" This earned him a glare from the young girl.

"I'm big enough to hear it, Albie." Before her brother could argue back, their father held up a quieting hand.

"Albus... I feel the same as you do, but I can't in good conscience leave her out of this discussion. I know," he raised his voice slightly as his son made to interrupt, "that she's only seven, but you aren't that much older than her, and frankly, were it up to me, I'd have waited a few years to have this conversation at all. Unfortunately, things have been taken out of my hands a bit." He let his eyes linger on his eldest, who squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny. Al looked over at his sister, who was glaring up at him with defiance etched in her every feature. He sighed, recognizing defeat when he saw it.

"Fine. What do we need to do?"

"Just put your left hand out." All three children obeyed. Rosie pulled out an old scarf; it was silver and blue, with some strange dark stains on it. She wrapped it around her children's outstretched hands; she and Reggie both cut their palms and placed them on top of the knot, lacing their fingers together as they did so. Sirius took out his wand and placed the tip over their intertwined hands.

"_Protego scientia in anima_."*

There was a golden glow, and the faintest whispers could be heard echoing through the room, lasting only for a moment before the glow faded away.

"It's done," Sirius said heavily.

"Right then," Reg said, sounding oddly choked up as Rosie unwrapped their hands, and casting the scarf a wistful look. "Where to start?"

* * *

Harry had only been back home for an hour, and he could already tell something was terribly, terribly wrong. His cousins had been strangely quiet, his aunt and uncle tense, and his godfather was trying to act normal enough to make up for all of them, and being terribly obvious about it.

He had managed to catch James alone at one point and tried to get him to spill, but he had simply made an odd choking noise and shook his head, looking frustrated.

Harry could relate to that.

"Pass the sprouts, please, Harry." He wordlessly handed the dish down to his aunt, who he noticed wouldn't meet his eye. He turned back to his meal with a deep sigh.

"How was your first term?" Given the uncomfortable silence pervading the atmosphere at the table, he hadn't expected his uncle to be the one to ask about Hogwarts.

"Oh. It was fine, I guess."

"Doing any better in potions?" Harry groaned internally. He'd been having some problems with Professor Snape, problems which he suspected had very little to do with his potion-brewing ability and more to do with who he was.

"Sort of," he hedged, squirming uncomfortably under Reg's scrutiny.

"Did you try what I suggested?" Harry scowled slightly, stabbing at his steak-and-kidney pie with a bit more force than was necessary.

"It was easier said than done." Reg simply leaned back in his chair with a knowing smirk.

"I see."

"You didn't hear what he was calling him," he grumbled. "He called him-"

"An arrogant, preening, self-serving bastard?" Rosie smacked his shoulder; he ignored her. Harry felt himself growing warm in the face; Reg had never dared speak about James Potter in such a way.

"Don't talk about him like that."

"Rude or not, it was the truth, Harry. James Potter strutted about the school like he owned the place, and as a result, earned himself many enemies. Suffice it to say-" he held up a hand to quell the angry retort Harry had been dying to deliver. "Suffice it to say, he grew out of it, or your mother would never have had anything to do with him. And frankly, I can't talk. I was much the same way when I was in school." Sirius smirked at him.

"Except you'd never hex people for the fun of it?" Reg narrowed his eyes at him.

"Precisely."

The rest of dinner was spent in relative peace; the tension eased slightly as Harry detailed his first term with his best mates: Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Hermione Granger.

He had met Ron and Neville on the train; the other two boys already knew each other outside of school, since their parents were friends. Ron came from a large family, with five older brothers and a younger sister. He had a brilliant sarcastic wit about him and a propensity for perfectly timed one-liners, and was a rather fantastic chess player. Harry was quite fond of Ron, but thought his temper tended to run away with him a bit too much, as evidenced by the fight at the flying lesson.

Neville, on the other hand, was a quiet, more reserved bloke, but when pushed, he'd push back three times as hard (also as evidenced by the fight in flying class.) After their disastrous first potions class-in which Neville managed to melt his cauldron and set Seamus' pants on fire in one go- he worked tirelessly to improve himself, and by the end of term, was almost as good as Hermione. Harry reckoned that with his botanical knowledge, he might just best her yet.

Finally, there was Hermione, who had been a rather bossy, swotty girl who made it her mission in life to pester the three of them into submission whenever she felt the need to. And then they saved her from a troll that had broken into the girl's loo in the middle of the Halloween Feast, and she in turn saved them from having to answer to the teachers for it. Since then, she had started hanging out with the three of them, and as a result had begun to loosen up a bit. As it would happen, she was in fact a kind and clever witch whose only downfall was her unfortunate lack of imagination and tendency to panic under pressure.

Hearing about his friends' antics seemed to put smiles back on his family's faces, something for which he was quite grateful. Soon, they were back to laughing and joking with one another as normal, and for the first time since he had gotten off the train, he was happy to be home for the holidays.

Distracted as he was, it was understandable that he never noticed how Jamie's smile never quite reached his eyes.

-  
AN: *translates very loosely to "protect the knowledge in the soul" Very, very loosely.


End file.
